Why You Love Santana’s Music: When I first heard Carlos, I stopped what I was doing and paid close attention to those notes he was hitting. It blew my mind like Hendrix did. To this day, I always use Carlos & Jimi as a reference points to writing. His music is universal, fresh, pure, and exciting with no expiration date. My wife (Mixy) & kids (Ziggy and Julian) also love his music now. His music is that attractive.

How Many Times You’ve Seen Carlos Live and Where/When: I have seen Santana every time he has visited Los Angeles since 1993. I can recall the Shrine Auditorium, Nokia Theatre, Hollywood Bowl, Greek Theatre, and a few private events.

Random Santana-related Fact: My son Ziggy had the pleasure of joining Carlos on stage at the Hollywood Bowl. I also had the opportunity of participating in a Q&A session with Carlos in 2007. On top of that, my wife and I have got to hang out with Karl a few times, twice with Raul. They are such cool cats. My kids loved them as well.